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London to Paris cyclists in front of the Eiffel Tower (Hotchillee)Hotchillee cancels all events and to enter liquidation due to "ongoing financial challenges following Covid and Brexit referendum"
Hotchillee is the latest cycling brand to be hit by financial troubles, the cycling event organiser today announcing that it will enter liquidation in the coming weeks "due to financial difficulties experienced in recent years".
Apologising for the "abruptness of this announcement and the inconvenience" all upcoming events being cancelled might have, founder Sven Thiele explained that "despite our best efforts, the combination of internal matters, ongoing financial challenges following COVID-19 and the Brexit referendum, without sufficient capital injection to continue trading, the director has sought for advice in dealing with the company's affairs."
Describing the situation as a "devastating blow" for the company that has been organising events such as its popular London to Paris rides for 20 years, Hotchillee said its LONDON-PARIS Gravel 2024, Sri Lanka Gravel 2025, and Cape Rouleur 2025 have all been cancelled.
"After 20 extraordinary years, this is a devastating blow to all of us at Hotchillee," a statement which appeared on the company's website states. "The proposed liquidators will be in touch with creditors shortly to outline options and next steps.
"We greatly value and appreciate our community, and we sincerely apologise for the abruptness of this announcement and the inconvenience it may cause. This is an incredibly difficult situation for everyone and your understanding and patience during this challenging time are greatly appreciated."
The impact of Brexit on the London to Paris rides had already been reported, border issues following the UK's departure from the EU having led to increased costs and a logistical headache that meant this year's iconic event, which covered 520km between the British and French capitals, was going to be Hotchillee's last anyway.
> Brexit blamed as London-Paris organisers say 2024 edition will be the last
Last summer it was revealed that the total value of bikes used by people participating in the event last year was £1.7 million, and due to customs changes following Brexit, a carnet for the entire fleet has to be completed to avoid import duties from being applied to each individual bicycle.
No such paperwork was required while the UK remained within the customs union, and the additional costs – plus the prospect of bikes being held at the border if for whatever reason the documentation was unacceptable to customs officials – meant that it was impossible for the event to continue in its current format.
At the time, founder Thiele said they had enjoyed "so many years of inspirational London to Paris experiences" but were "wanting to offer a more sustainable experience for their riders".
"The increasing challenge of closing roads and securing permissions for race sections, combined with the ever growing complications of Brexit, Hotchillee's 20th anniversary edition will be the last in the current format," a statement said last July, a similar statement 13 months later bringing an end to the events and rides full stop.
Ben Stanyon and Nedim Ailyan, of FRP Advisory Trading Limited, have been formally instructed to place Hotchillee into liquidation "in the coming weeks".
Last month, we reported that participants were left "shocked, saddened, and angry" after £26,000 worth of bikes were stolen from Hotchillee's Enve Stone Circle gravel cycling event in Salisbury.
Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.
Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.
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46 comments
I wasn't referring to that post.
Ah, so you find it unpleasant to be asked if you really need it explained to you why referring to black people as "blacks" is offensive? I was simply expressing surprise that in this day and age someone of (I think) my generation wouldn't know that.
I find it unpleasant when a question is asked in such a needlessly condescending manner. I don't "need" to have anything "explained" to me; I am not stupid. I wasn't aware that the term "blacks" was considered offensive. And I think you are now being disingenuous too.
I rather think the response "I could have written "female people" too, I suppose. And you could have written "Black" with a capital "B"" falls into both the disingenuous and needlessly condescending categories. Clearly if you weren't aware that referring to black people collectively as "blacks" is offensive then you did need it explained to you. Hopefully, despite your defensive hostility, you might take the explanation on board and not use it in future.
No, your unpleasantness was habitual, you didn;t even consider it offensive. What is known as unconcious bias.
Your use of "blacks" also jarred with me. Its a particular expression that sits neatly with the n word. This is historic but unfortunately the case.
Usage of the n word in a specific context to be clear. Whole other can of worms otherwise!
Brexit was eually the fault of old people who wanted the "glory days" back, and younger people who couldn;t be bothered to vote. You can say what you like about politicians lying but it was incumbent on all of us to consider wisely and vote wisely, and few did. My parents for example wanted the "old England" back - the England they emigrated to South Africa to escape...
Indeed. See also the comments on any social media photos of 1950s-1970s London, which was apparently a wonderful time. Makes you wonder why people were leaving in droves.
Ah, "When Britain WAS Britain"! A good way to annoy them with the 70s and 80s pictures is to say I know, wasn't it great when we were in the EU?
Haven't you heard? KHANT HAS DESTROYED LONDON!
I'm not there much these days but hope you're managing amidst the rubble.
We struggle on. Sometimes I even feel it's a rather fabulous place to live, but that's only because I'm a libtard snowflake living in my Marxist bubble who swallows all the lies of the MSM, obviously.
Not all old people. Though a fair number seem to be quite happy that they can spend their days looking for brexit benefits and selling them to the rest of us. I have not been presented with one single brexit benefit (racism aside).
As far as I know, it was beneficial during COVID when we were procuring jabs. Thats quite literally the only benefit I can think of. Just got a new passport and shockingly, the quality is rubbish compared to my last one.
But it's blue?! WE LITERALLY FOUGHT FOR THIS!
But weren't we still subject to EU rules at that point? So whatever the supposed benefits were, they will have had little to do with our having brexited ourselves. And our world-beating AstraZeneca vaccine turned out to be a bit of a dud too in some respects.
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